MLB Player News

Ponce de Leon pitched a perfect inning to earn the save in Thursday's 5-4 extra-inning win versus Arizona.

Regular closer Alex Reyes pitched the ninth inning and kept the game tied. St. Louis went ahead on a Yadier Molina double in the top of the 10th, and Ponce de Leon was able to stymie Arizona for his second career save. The right-hander has allowed two runs (one earned) in 4.1 innings since he returned from a shoulder injury. He has a 6.75 ERA, 1.57 WHIP and 7:10 K:BB across 14.2 innings in nine outings (two starts) overall. Ponce de Leon isn't likely to see many high-leverage opportunities.

Loup (2-0) pitched a scoreless fifth inning on one hit while striking out two to earn the win in game 2 of Thursday's doubleheader against the Rockies.

Loup allowed a double to Garrett Hampson, but retired the other three batters he faced. The 33-year-old provided another solid performance after slipping as of late, allowing a run in three straight appearances in May. He has a 2.77 ERA and a 1.31 WHIP in 13 innings. He has four holds, but he is not a high-leverage inning reliever and he's not in line for any save opportunities.

Jansen saved Thursday's 4-3 win over San Francisco, pitching a clean ninth with no baserunners and two strikeouts.

Jansen struck out the first wo Giants he faced and induced an Evan Longoria flyout to lock down his 12th save, placing him among the league leaders. It was Jansen's seventh straight appearance with a save as Los Angeles has won 13 of its last 15 games.

Weathers allowed one hit and walked two while striking out five across four scoreless innings Thursday against the Brewers. He did not factor into the decision.

Weathers looked sharp in the outing, relying primarily on groundballs and strikeouts to throw four shutout frames. However, he was limited to 78 pitches and hasn't been allowed to work beyond four innings since experiencing joint inflammation in his throwing arm April 28. While he's allowed only four earned runs across 18 innings in five outings since, his short stints limit both his strikeout upside and potential to earn wins.

Graterol (forearm) will throw live batting practice Friday while with Triple-A Oklahoma City on a rehab assignment, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

Graterol was reportedly set to start throwing in game action Friday, but those plans have been tweaked slightly. Assuming live batting practice goes as planned, he is expected to enter into game action on his rehab assignment shortly thereafter.

Sims struck out one batter in a scoreless inning against the Nationals on Thursday en route to his third save of the season.

After Sonny Gray went six scoreless, Sims took the ball and completed the shutout on 11 pitches (this was a seven-inning contest played following the conclusion of Wednesday's suspended game). Sims has endured some bumps in the road this season and sits with a 6.00 ERA, but with saves in back-to-back appearances, he appears to be the 1a option at closer for the Reds. Tejay Antone recently described his role as "mid-game closer," per the Cincinnati Enquirer.

Santana was optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City on Thursday, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

Santana has appeared in 16 games -- all as a reliever -- for the Dodgers this season. However, he hasn't been particularly effective by maintaining 6.00 ERA and 1.93 WHP across 15 frames. Mitch White was called up in the corresponding move.

White was recalled by the Dodgers prior to Thursday's game against the Giants, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

White has pitched out of the bullpen and accrued 7.2 innings with the big-league team this season. He figures to fill that role once again and could work in a multi-inning role Thursday during the team's bullpen game. White has most recently worked as a reliever at Triple-A Oklahoma City for a total of four innings, racking up five strikeouts and surrendering two earned runs.

Gilbreath was returned to Triple-A Albuquerque after Thursday's doubleheader.

Gilbreath served as the 27th man for the team's contests against the Mets, though he did not take the mound. He's already thrown 7.1 innings for the Rockies this season, so he is a top candidate to be recalled when the team is in need of bullpen depth once again.

Martin was optioned to Triple-A Reno on Thursday.

Martin has been roughed up in each of his first two starts with the Diamondbacks this year, and he posted a 9.00 ERA and 1.78 WHIP in nine innings. He'll head back to the minors as part of a shuffle after left-hander Ryan Buchter's contract was selected by Arizona.